Not much more then you spent on the first one and a sight less then what most get.

As a rule though the closer you get to Houston or San Antonio the price went up with all the company trucks being sold. I dang near missed the place when I drove into Kempner. Main thing your giving your students something they'll learn a ton from and you can't put a price tag on that

I am thinking several steps ahead to keep the build time as short as possible to prevent having to swap beds. So, I need some help deciding what color to paint the bed. Gloss black, or gloss white and color-match the front bumper?

Accomplished my goals for the day. Got everything welded solid, got the headache rack on, and the trough down to the right size. Gonna start laying plate tomorrow, then things will probably slow down as the small details start popping up.

I'm not gonna totally color match everything. It will still have black door handles and mirrors, and the bed may end up with a black floor if I decide to color match it to the cab. I think the black might look OK but I don't want it looking like some company truck. It is a tradesman package, but I would like to make it look like a Laramie clone, at least to the untrained eye. I already added the vinyl to the B pillar, now I need to save up for some factory 20" wheels, just to give it a little higher end touch.

Know what you mean. Ever since I bought my Twinkie in '14 it's been nice to blend in at work with all the company trucks that are out there. Only thing that made mine finally different I made the stakes for the side split instead of solid.

Progress was slow over the weekend because I have hit the point that the small details are taking lots of time without much noticeable progress. But, I got the tail completely finished, and am going to work on the headache rack to get it totally finished out. Then all I have left is the toolbox doors and she will be ready for paint.

A day behind where I want to be, but we got the headache rack done and everything welders up, except the floor plate. Had some pretty big gaps in the floor because I measured wrong (oops ) so we have to scab some pieces in and weld it up tomorrow. Hopefully I can get it washed and clean by tomorrow evening and maybe I can slip up to the school Saturday and paint it so it can be dry Monday.

Got color laid down finally. And again, I do not claim to be a painter. Got the gloss a little more even I think, but there are lots of touch ups that need to be done. Gonna let it cure over the weekend and check it out on Monday.

Well, she may not be the prettiest girl at the dance, but I take pride in the fact that I designed it and me and my kids built it. I wish I was a better painter to halo accent the kids' abilities better, but it is what it is. I'm already appreciating the lower sides and easy of access. Just need to get her wired and the lights hooked up.

Another weekend cheat session. Got the rear skirt panel replaced, boxes cut out and the passenger side welded in place. Also got the passenger skirt tacked in. Sure seems like I did more than that, but that's all I can think of.

Can I get a close up of that CNC computer stand. Looking to build a new one and that looks great. We've got the same machine you do it looks like!

Finally wrapped up completely, well except for a couple of pop rivets. Backup camera and sensors are working, as are all the lights. Even pulled a trailer with it a couple times.

I curious why the channel for the GN ball? Top of the ball appears to be close or even with top of bed. Why not jut leave a well for the GN ball with a lid, then whole bed can be used to carry stuff with out the channel leading to the ball? I know you got to throw some extra turns on trailer jack to clear end of bed, but never understood this style of bed. I am not knocking it, looks great! Just trying to learn more

I curious why the channel for the GN ball? Top of the ball appears to be close or even with top of bed. Why not jut leave a well for the GN ball with a lid, then whole bed can be used to carry stuff with out the channel leading to the ball? I know you got to throw some extra turns on trailer jack to clear end of bed, but never understood this style of bed. I am not knocking it, looks great! Just trying to learn more

Well, I did that on my first one, and I ran into some issues with a couple of trailers not being able to clear the back of the bed (missing by an inch or less) with the jack lifted all the way. Usually this is because the trailer was taken off of a shorter truck, most times a 2wd, prior to my using it. I just thought I would try this to see if I liked it. I got mixed reviews on the issue from folks while trying to decided if I wanted to go this route or not, so I figured I would go for it and avoid the issues I had before. Now, I will admit, I only haul a gooseneck a handful of times, so I probably could have managed with the design you described, and to be honest, it might have been more practical, but it is what it is. Im not entirely sold on the channel idea. Sometimes I wish I had made it with a flat deck. I just think its a cleaner look with a flat deck. But, it has come in handy the one time I had to move a trailer. I just don't think I will haul enough to justify the design feature.

I am debating making a cover for the entire channel that flips up out of the way when I need to haul a trailer, but that will make for a flat floor when I need one. I think I have an idea for one that will make for a clean modification and install, but I really don't want to go about the whole painting process again. I am also debating on putting a rub rail and a fender on it, but then sometimes I like the flat look. I don't know. My wife says Im insane, and she may be right.

Can I get a close up of that CNC computer stand. Looking to build a new one and that looks great. We've got the same machine you do it looks like!

That stand is just an old beat up media cart that we stole from the library several years ago. it used to hold overhead projectors, but nobody uses those except me anymore, so I got to keep the cart and a bunch of projectors to use as parts when mine breaks.